Two carrot gold

How are bricks made? How do they make glass? How do they build a roof? Frieda Kahlo was a famous painter. Is turmeric food colouring? Have we ever seen a caterpillar? Daddy, Noah's looking at me. I don't like it.These are the pressing issues of the day. And apparently must be addressed before I've had a cup of coffee. And although I woke up 20 minutes before everyone and had blissful calm before I had to turn into a human Wikipedia, it was still an assault on my delicate surfacing senses.And so to this week's food. I have such little space in my brain at the moment for anything other than the impending house move that the meals this week have needed to be simple and quick. We've had spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce; the meatballs browned from frozen and then cooked through in tinned tomatoes blitzed with chilli flakes, a spring onion, two cloves of garlic, olive oil and a large, large pinch of dried oregano.As is often the way, just adding a little dash of something can elevate a dish from the everyday. In this case, a large handful of chopped parsley, a good sprinkle of breadcrumbs, lemon zest and probably half the Parmesan and pepper grinder just gave it the edge on what is already delicious comfort food.The other night, we had some broccoli florets, blanched and quickly fried with garlic, ginger, spring onion and kohlrabi. I tossed that with sesame oil and seeds, soy sauce and some rice noodles and supper was on our laps in front of the telly in fifteen minutes.And as for the children, they've had Greek bean soup, corn on the cob with lime and butter, stewed rhubarb and chicken and mushroom in a creme fraiche and tomato sauce with rice and broccoli. Which was pronounced acceptable. But I do think they are starting to raise an eyebrow here and there at the sudden and often appearance of soups at the dinner table. Noah seems to think he can only eat it if the bread to soup ratio is one to one. And still complains it's not the same as the pumpkin soup they have at school. Ingrate.The best thing by far we eat this week though, was the carrot salad I made on Saturday night after we'd had dhal and naan and were still peckish. I had to use a packet of the children's Peppa Pig raisins, and perhaps that's where the secret to the success of the dish came. Or perhaps it was the amazing olive oil from I got from oliveology the other day. Or perhaps it was just the freshness and simplicity of it. Whatever, it has taken on an ineffable quality and almost mythical status in my memory so I'm going to make it again for lunch today. And it just goes to show, sometimes when all you can do is do things simply, that's when you do them best.Ingredients2 fairly large carrots, scrubbedA tablespoon or two of tarragon vinegarA packet of Peppa Pig raisins. Or a small handful of normal ones if you can't get theseA good pour of great olive oilA large handful of chopped parsley2tbsp of ground cuminSalt and pepper to seasonA pinch of turmeric for the hell of itMethodI generally use the medium grating disc on the food processor to grate the carrots, but do them by hand if you prefer. I'm far to important and dynamic, plus I just love the way it eats them up, cartoon-style.Add the grated carrots to a large serving bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well, taste and add more seasoning if you feel it needs it.Leave to rest for about ten minutes to allow things to mingle a little and the carrots to soften a touch then serve. And sigh.This weekReadRedbreast by Jo Nesbo. Sometimes it feels as if it's been written by a child, but enjoyable nonetheless.EatFood not worth waiting the hour and half for on Mothers' day at Wing Yip in Croydon. And the tea tasted like it had been brewing since the Ming dynasty. Let's hope Darjeeling Express tomorrow night is better.SawShetland, again. Thoroughly cosy, and Steven Robertson's accent is still brilliant. Noah and I are catching up on old Simpsons episodes on the sofa at 6pm every night.ListenedEnigma, MCMXV ad. for a blast from the past, and Hollywood Town Hall by the Jayhawks. An excellent album still as good today as it ever was.

Things I like in the kitchen (part one)

Just as we've recovered from our trip to Legoland, it's time for the school summer fair. I found myself flipping burgers and sausages for four hours with Mike on a hot Saturday after volunteering to help. I'm sure there must have been some form of mind control involved, or perhaps he asked me when Maya was pulling my nose and Noah was falling off his scooter at speed. However it happened, he must have caught me at a weak moment.But now the meat sweats have calmed down, and I no longer smell like a forest fire and can face eating again it's been little but salads this week, or ham and egg on toast. Simple and quick things that don't require much thought or time.So in light of not a great deal going on in the kitchen for the past few days, here is a selection of things I find essential and interestingly useful from my bulging shelves.La isla bonito:dried and fermented smoked tuna is a surprisingly delicious addition to many seafood dishes and stocks. I particularly like to add it to the pasta when I'm making spaghetti alle vongole. And I occasionally just like smelling the jar for that strange almost fish food smell.We bought a yuzu:I'll often use this in dressings instead of lemon juice to give a slightly different citrus tang or in sorbets and lemon tarts.Yeast today, once more:Usually I make the weekly bread using my sourdough starter, but when I want a quicker loaf, pitta breads, ciabbattas or the like, I'll use this fresh yeast from Sweden (via Ocado or the internet). It's tangy, I much prefer fresh than the dried powdery stuff and I like the packaging.Tarragon with the wind:Not many days pass in this house without a salad and our house vinaigrette. Cider vinegar that has had a small bunch of tarragon steeping in it is key to this. Aniseed and apple flavours make this vinaigrette stand out.Fungi to be around:Dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder (or for that matter, dried mushrooms of most kinds) make an excellent seasoning for steak, or beef. I also add it to my mushroom pasta and many other dishes where I want that deep umami hit.Oil be seeing you, in all the old familiar places:I have a standard olive oil to cook with and I have a few special ones to dress with. Food that is, I don't need oil on hand when putting clothes on. Just spending a little more on a really good quality olive oil makes such a difference to finishing dishes or for making dressings or just to dip good bread in.Sitting on the dock of the Old Bay:First of all, I love the packaging. Second, no fish taco in this house is complete without Old Bay seasoning. Easy.Pepper the conversation:Japanese pepper is slightly fruity and lemony, so is great on seafood or with meringues and strawberries. I use it a lot when I want an extra kick without too much pepper flavourAil be seeing you, in all those old familiar faces:A house without garlic is a sad house.Cutting the mustard:Maille is my preferred brand of Dijon mustard. I use it in vinagrettes and it's a must(ard) with roast chicken.Chilli in here:I like chilli heat, we have a variety of hot chilli sauces on the shelves too. And one of my favourite uses for them is hot green chilli sliced onto scrambled eggs. Hot green chillies probably would improve most dishes in my opinion.Herb Salt:A mix of rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley, this salt will turn your morning fried eggs into delicious morning fried eggs. And there are plenty more uses for it than that too. Seasoning chicken skin before the bird goes in the oven, sprinkling over flaky white fish or seasoning, even curing salmon, this salt is just a little bit more than the usual. All you need is a spice grinder and it keeps for a long, long while.

Salad Daze

The more food I eat, and I do so with every passing day, the more I love the simple things. Last night we had spaghetti al pomodoro, using a jar of beautiful Italian plum tomatoes cooked with long softened onion, garlic, some good olive oil and a snowstorm of Parmesan. The key was the tomatoes. It's only May here, so we're not likely to have great ones, and while you can get pretty good tinned ones (I use Cirio as my storecupboard tins) it's worth every now and then splashing out on a really good jar of Italian ones and Antica Enotria are brilliant. If your dish is this simple, you really need great ingredients. It's as simple as that.We had salad on the table every day growing up, and I try and keep that going. I'm not a great fan of salad as the main meal, but I love it as an accompaniment. Summer tomato salads with chopped shallot, balsamic and oil; a little chicory, pear and walnut; fennel and orange; cucumber and dill. They bring colour and freshness to the table. But my salad of choice you probably couldn't even call a salad. It's just gem lettuce and a good mustardy vinaigrette. You can't get much simpler than that. Maybe it's the dressing I love and use the leaves as a healthy and edible spoon to scoop it into my mouth. You can add a touch of garlic to this if you like, but be careful to not put too much in. Even half a clove can be a bit much.This dressing keeps for about a week in the fridge and should stay emulsified if you've made it well. It's also great mixed through some warm new potatoes and sprinkled with chives.Ingredients1 tbsp Dijon mustardA pinch of Maldon salt (or kosher salt if you're in America)50ml tarragon cider vinegar. (Basically a bottle of cider vinegar you've stuck some sprigs of fresh tarragon in and left to infuse for a few days)150ml olive oil50ml rapeseed oilMethodPut the mustard and salt in a bowl and mix in the vinegar.Slowly, as if making mayonnaise, whisk in the oil, drop by drop at first until it starts to thicken and emulsify. Continue until it's all in and you have a thick dressing.Taste, and if you prefer it sharper, add a splash more vinegar. Or oil if you prefer it less acidic. I like mine on the poky side. Loosen it a little with a splash of cold water and pour it into a dressing bottle to store in the fridge.

Artichoke with Vinaigrette

An unseemly noise for a teenager, let alone a human came from me when I first dipped the leathery leaf of an artichoke into a mustardy vinaigrette in Brasserie Le Linois, Place Charles Michels.Usually, it's difficult if not impossible to recreate those dishes from memories of the past in a foreign country. The smells, the sounds, the air all colour our memories and we are destined to be disappointed. But fear not! The artichoke doesn't suffer from this problem. It tastes the same to me now, dipped in that dressing as it did all those years ago.How does this happen I imagine myself hearing you ask? I have no idea, but being May, and them appearing in my greengrocer I'm not going to ask too many questions.You can cook them in simmering water, covered for 30-45 minutes depending on their size, or, if you are desperate for your hit, they do just as well in the microwave, wrapped in clingfilm for about ten. I prefer simmering them though, you can add aromatic flavours to the cooking water.To the water, add 2 fresh bay leaves, a tablespoon of peppercorns, a large splash of tarragon vinegar (or plain white wine vinegar if you prefer) and some salt. Bring the water and artichoke to the boil, then simmer until cooked, that is, when the leaves come away easily.Leave it to cool a little and eat slightly warm dipped in vinaigrette made by whisking together one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of tarragon cider vinegar (or again, plain) then slowly incorporating about ten tablespoons of olive oil. Use less if you prefer a sharper dressing.Pull the leaves from the globe, dip them in and tease off the flesh into your mouth as you remember your long lost youth...